The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1887-06-02

d
day and enlist"
The old man turned 10 his wife as !
, we're scene they had long awaited,
"we'd better let him 60 mother, said
be. "aud trust iu God. He's determined
aud he'd die Il We kept him at home De
sides | don't know as we'd be doiu' right
II We kept him,
Mrs payson was silent. and very pale.
The father and son vent together TO the
enrolling Office a. the village.
When the time came for him to 90, his
mother sent him away without tear =
when be went After he was gone her
heartbreak gave way in weeping. He was
the child OF ber old age.
| Days regiment was the Eighteenth
| Wisconsin. was made up OF farmers boys,
such As he Like many other regiments
in that perilous time. 1t went to the front
Is soou as Il was fairly organized and sup
piled with equipments.
April and z, 1862; the days OF Shiloh.
You may read, 10 the story Of the battle
how the fortunes OF the first day brought
the reserves to the front, and among them
number OF green regiments that had just
arrived from the Northwest You may
read. too, how, right in the foremost line,
a regiment OF Wisconsin boys they SEEM
ed regiment Of boys, SO many youthful
faces looked resolutely from the ranks
not three weeks from mastering in, fought
heroically throughout the battle, the
young soldiers standing like veterans OF
score OF campaigns, while man after man
fell. How could raw recruits, aud boys
at that, stand in line and be mown down
without ever wavering? TWAS was mar
vel Of marvels to Old World soldiers.
More than half the men in his regiment
fell in those two days OF fighting, as the
record will tell you.
brigade commander, as the Survivors oI
the Eighteenth Wisconsin fell into line
after the victory; the regiment is gone.
Aud then. turning to the battalion before
him, aud raising bis hand toward the sky
he said, "Thal is bnt shred Of the regi-
mont; the rest is there.
What had happened to Divy Payson in
all this bloodshed? On the second day
Of the fight. as he stood in the front rank,
loading his rifle, bullet grazsd finger
OF bis right hand, With which he held his
ramrod, and then it entered his left breast
He felt the tingle at his finger that was
all, at first
II thought had scratch, aud laughed"
he said to me afterward. "But Just then
| felt a great pain in my chest and began
to grow faint.
/ he surgeons found that the ball had
imbedded in bis breast just above the
heart. They found, too. that it was much
too near the heart to be taken out 40
attempt to remove it with instruments
would result in death. There was just
one chance of life that the ball would
become encysted
Dayy began to show signs Of recovery
after two or three days. The wound was
healing outwardly, aud nature seemed to
be taking care of the ball
"Seud him heme; be has earned an
honorable discharge" said the surgeon.
Davy was sent home, and came under
my charge. After few weeks his wound
had wholly healed outwardly. And after
another and longer time Of waiting, in
which his strength grew constantly, Davy
said to me:
II wouldn't know that ball was there
except when it is going to rain. ("
II is a queer circumstance that such
substance in a mans body seems to do the
work Of barometer
In the meanwhile, Iuka and Corintb {
we're fought, and the glorious news from
hese fields had reached Davy at home Q
The enemy that be had marched against :
vas being driven by General Grant, back
ward, backward. You have already guess
ID that Davy's heart, with the bullet Lying
here above 1T. had begun to burn again q
Ie talked every day about reioining bis
egiment b
The one thing that troubled bin was r
ear that he might have been honorably
discharged on account Of bis wound,
be interval He remembered the 50
cons words but 90 discharge had
cached him. What had be 10 hinder ;.
i'm. be asked, from going bAck9 !,
II don't believe have been discharged. :,
nd if / have not, shall join the regi :,
lent IS soon as ! can, be said
Dayy wrote to the captain Of bis COM !
any for information. After ten days
nore OF delay Al exceedingly kind letter !
anne to him from the captain, which en- :,
losed q copy Of a memorandum from the !,
citing adjntant Of the regiment Dayy i
sai this memorandum with beating heart !,
I'd eager haste; y
"Owing no doubt to the pressure OF
,e active work Of the campaign following !,
, quickly the battle Of Shiloh, Private !,
ayson's discharge. which the colon ! :,
lstructs me TO state, is certainly deem :,
lyissble, has not been ordered. There
as simply been no step whatever taken i,
the matter beyond the Issue Of proyis.
NAL sick leave upon which be was sept
ONE; and. as matters nov stand, Private
ayson will be required TO report for dui
pom the expiration Of that Leave sbicb
now at hand.
Mr.. PAyson aud vile stood and watched =
le color leave their sons cheeks as be
'ad the note. and saw him trem bic with
creasiBg excitement.
As be came TO the last words DaSF (.
sped up with loud shout
sFatberi mother it's all right | an